Gibsonton, Florida -- A worker at the Riverview Mosaic fertilizer plant suffered severe burns over most of his body after he fell into a tank of phosphoric acid early Wednesday morning.
General Manager Robert Fredere says the man was pulled from the tank and the acid was washed off.
Employees called 911 and the worker was taken to Tampa General Hospital. He suffered thermal burns, as the acid was about 175 degrees Fahrenheit. He is currently in critical condition.
Right now, it is unclear what led to the accident. The worker was reportedly helping prepare the tank for maintenance when he fell into the 12x2 tank of acid. There were about 40 other workers around at the time.
Fredere says the incident is under investigation and that safety procedures will be reviewed with employees.
The plant's website says it is involved in production of fertilizer, sulfuric acid, electrical power, phosphoric acid and fluoridation ingredients.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
